Published 18th Apr, 2022

By Joseph Adeiye

Obinna Ohanele, a Lagos resident, had two major events lined up when he visited Owerri, Imo State, on March 25. Apart from the interview he had at the capital city, it was also his fiancée’s birthday.

Ohanele’s itinerary saw him attend the important interview he had first. When he was done, he headed straight for Goodness Ujuamara, his fiancee’s place.

He was hoping he would have a nice time celebrating the period with the love of his life.

However, things went bad for him very quickly.

SEEKING HELP FOR BLEEDING FIANCÉE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

When Ohanele finally reunited with his Goodness, they both decided to visit Lekki Park Hotel in Nekede, to have a nice dinner, and ultimately, spend the night as well.

“The name of the hotel we were lodged in is Lekkis Park Hotel, Nekede, Owerri, Imo State. I paid a sum of ₦7,000 for the night and we checked in,” Ohanele told FIJ.

“Unfortunately, later that night, my fiancée started bleeding. Because she is a medical worker, she asked me to get her Vitamin K at a nearby pharmacy.”

“However, after she took the vitamins, the bleeding still did not stop. At around 2 am, we decided to look for a hospital. I then approached the receptionist and explained to him that she was ill and needed to visit a hospital.”

Ohanele said after the hotel management told him there was no way they could assist, they also got the police involved immediately. When the officers arrived, the narrative changed.

“What was supposed to be an SOS call suddenly became something else as soon as the police arrived,” Ohanele said.

“When the officers arrived, they also told the supervisor that they didn’t have a vehicle that night, and that we should look for an alternative. The only option we had was to trek to the nearest hospital.

“Apart from being in a hurry, I was also disoriented at that moment. My only concern was to get my fiancée to a hospital as fast as possible. In the process, I forgot my phone in the hotel room. We had to walk for 50 minutes before we find the closest hospital.”

The Port Harcourt resident also said he had to back his fiancee because she had become too tired to walk.

“The name of the hospital is Human Race Hospital, Nekede, Owerri,” Ohanele revealed.

On getting to the hospital, the bleeding was eventually stopped by a doctor on duty. After this, Ohanele was told that Goodness would need a lot of rest before she could be discharged.

At that point, he thought his ordeal was over. But, unknown to him, more was to come.

‘PAY ₦30,000 FOR STAINED BEDSHEETS’

When Goodness was stable enough, Ohanele quickly went back to the hotel to fetch his phone.

However, as soon as he entered his room, the hotel manager came in and demanded that he paid N30,000 for the bedspread his fiancée had soiled while she was bleeding.

“Before I could react to the manager’s demand he quickly picked up his phone and called the police. After making the call, he said he had to invite them a second time because the matter had to do with a person’s life,” Ohanele said.

While this was happening, the manager also got a call from the owner of the hotel that Ohanele should be brought to the reception.

His arrival at the reception would coincide with the entrance of the police officers the hotel management had invited.

“Among the officers that came were the ones that said they had no vehicle when Goodness was bleeding in the middle of the night. This time, they came in a bus. They are from the Nekede Police Division,” Ohanele said.

“I thought they were there to help. But, to my surprise, they arrested me.”

POLICE ASSAULT AND DISHONESTY

Ohanele said he was handcuffed by one of the officers when he was being taken to the station.

“I had earlier texted the hotel address to my fiancée’s sister, and she arrived almost the same time with the police. Immediately, they motioned me to come. As I got there, a police officer called Asuquo brought out handcuffs to put on my hands,” Ohanele said.

“I asked what was my crime and they gave me a heavy beating. They ordered my in-law to sit next to me and said I should take them to the hospital. While they were driving me to the hospital, Asuquo told me that once the lady was able to identify me as her fiance, they’d leave me,” Ohanele said.

However, after his fiancee confirmed that Ohanele is her fiance at the hospital, the officers still did not release him.

“On reaching the hospital, my fiancée was shocked to see me in handcuffs. When the officer asked her if she knew me and she told him I was her fiance. I thought I would be released on the spot. But to my surprise, I was taken back to the station,” Ohanele said.

“What is also worthy of note is that at the hospital, Asuquo exchanged phone numbers with one of the accountants of the hospital. He also told her to call him after they had chatted for about five minutes.

“When we got back to the station, I was asked to write a statement on what happened. After I did this, Asuquo told me that for me to be free I would pay the sum of ₦51,000 for my bail. When I demanded to know why, he said that I committed a crime but that he could not explain what the crime was exactly,” Ohanele said.

In the end, the officers of the station locked Ohanele in a cell and told his fiancee’s sister, who had accompanied them to the station, to go and source money.

“I was locked up till 5 pm before my sister in-law came to the station. She brought the sum of ₦50,000 to bail me and also paid an additional ₦1,000 at the police counter,” Ohanele added.

“Asuquo said it was their normal practice to pay for bail at their station. When he took me to the DPO’s office, he confirmed to him that the doctor who treated my fiancee said it was a cervical tear.”

ALTERED HOSPITAL BILL

Ohenele also accused the staff of Human Race Specialist Hospital, where his fiancee was treated, of fraud.

“The money I was initially told I would pay by the hospital accountant was ₦28,700. But after Asuquo spoke with her, it became ₦80,000 overnight,” he said.

“The accountant also refused to reverse the outrageous amount she billed me when I complained to her.”

Hospital bill presented to Ohanele and his fiancée

“When I asked Goodness if she received any other treatment apart from the ones she had before I was taken away by the police, she said ‘no.'”

‘BAIL IS FREE’ – IMO STATE PPRO

When FIJ reached out to Michael Abattam, Imo State Police Public Relations Officer, on the incident, he said bail is free.

“Bail is free. You don’t have to pay money for bail. The only thing you will do is to provide somebody who is reliable as surety. It does not require money. I will however investigate the matter,” Abattam said.

Ohanele has since returned to Lagos with the hope that the issue will be addressed.

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